If cash is king for you, this week we wrote about how to boost your bank balance with bonuses, a debit card deal you should have done days ago, and some great cash back combos. But for those who play the game to score as many points as possible, Amex has certainly been coming in strong with the assists.
The absolute firesale on Amex points right now is the main event topic of this week’s Frequent Miler on the Air. It seems that Amex is raining down points on us from all directions — from the targeted offers to open cards you already have to huge authorized user bonuses on consumer cards and even as many as 2 million points via an employee card offer, Amex is just piling on the points. Is a devaluation coming? What might that look like? And what do the Foo Fighters have to do with it? Those answers and more on this week’s Frequent Miler on the Air.
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This week at Frequent Miler
If cash is king
Earning $6,000+ in bank and brokerage bonuses: the time spent makes sense/cents.
I just keep chugging along on the bank bonus train. After successfully adding thousands to our income in 2020 thanks to bank bonuses, we’ve continued building even stronger in 2021. Readers always (accurately) point out that these bonuses take time and incur taxes. Both are true, but how many of us wouldn’t put in a couple hours of overtime for an extra few grand? Excuse me while I go open another account….
Point Debit Card Rundown: Referrals, Bonus Points, Access Deals & More
I have to lead this by saying that you shouldn’t have snoozed on this one. The Point Debit card offers a $100 bonus for both sides when you sign up via referral. For some reason that nobody understands, the bonuses for people making referrals were posting as $250, which made this a fantastic deal for 10 minutes of effort in 2-player mode. Unfortunately, we’re back down to earth and the $100 bonuses now, but this card is still a super easy $200 win in 2-player mode assuming you have no other use for a debit card that earns 1% cash back on most purchases with random offers like 20% back at Etsy. Given that you’ll come out $200 ahead in 2-player mode, this is still well worth it just in case you find the rewards offers worthwhile.
Awesome cash back combos
Greg recently highlighted awesome credit card combos, but in this post I highlighted credit card combos that focus on cash back. Points are inherently more fun since I’m not likely to blow my money on luxury travel even if I earn enough cash back to cover first class flights and fancy resorts. Still, it is hard to argue against carrying combos that earn a range like 2.5% cash back to 8% cash back depending on chosen category. If those earnings sound good to you, click the headline and read on.
In points
How to keep points and miles alive
After having been spoiled by pandemic extensions, the time is upon us to again begin worrying about how to keep points and miles alive. Some programs have already begun point expiration and others will later this month or at the end of the year, so you want to prepare yourself now to keep those points alive. Will booking an award and then cancelling reset the clock? It depends on the program — see the post for more.
Best uses for Marriott free night certificates (35K and 50K)
If you are sitting on a pile of Marriott free night certificates and you feel like you can’t find a good use, head over to this post and the many reader suggestions that Greg has added. From a castle in Germany to the beaches of Hawaii, those free night certificates can get more than you might expect.
20K Membership Rewards bonus with new authorized user and $2K spend [targeted]
This week’s topic on Frequent Miler on the Air is the fire sale on Amex points and this offer is but one example: many people have been able to lock in an offer on their Platinum card for 20,000 points for adding a single additional cardholder and spending $2K. Keep in mind that you can add free additional Gold cards on a consumer Platinum account. Then we received a report from someone who was offered 20K points per employee for adding employee cards on his Green card and spending $4K — for up to 99 employees and almost two million points. There have additionally been offers on consumer Gold and Everyday Preferred cards. Keep your eyes peeled for opportunities to pick up easy points.
Prime Day is Coming
Amazon Prime Day Deals For 2021
Amazon Prime Day starts on Monday. This post can help you prep by syncing up all the pertinent offers. Keep it bookmarked as we will begin to fill it with early access deals and continue adding to it as Prime Day deals come live on June 21 and 22. Also keep an eye out for a section to highlight deals at other stores since we anticipate likely portal payout increases, Amex Offers, and other stacking opportunities to rise up in competition.
That’s it for this week at Frequent Miler. Keep an eye on this week’s last chance deals.
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